weekly writing update

I finished reading Blankets in a day, and am already craving a re-read. I want to read everything else Craig Thompson has ever written at this point – so fantastic. I started Fool Moon, book two of The Dresden Files series, and I have a stack of comics waiting to be read, but in all honesty, I spent most of my free time this week writing and watching all of Orange Is The New Black‘s second season. Oops.

What I’m Writing

For whatever reason, this week seemed to call for some serious journaling session, which hasn’t happened in a long time. It’s such a nice feeling – and writing exercise – to forget about spelling, grammar, content, etc. and just write. I need to be better about journaling, because I always feel so much better after doing so.

I got to page 35 of my pilot and am hoping to finish writing it this weekend! It goes a lot quicker since I have a full outline, but it’s a matter of finding the time to sit down, get in the zone, and write. This is especially tricky considering I’m attending two plays this weekend, spending time with my dad for Father’s Day, and am seeing college friends on Saturday – let’s see if I can pull this off!

I can’t believe this coming Thursday is my last class – it’s one of the best classes I’ve taken in the Writer’s Program, and I don’t want it to be over! That said, I am excited to have my Thursdays back and to not be (totally) exhausted every Friday. I have one class left before I finish my certificate, but I won’t be taking it until Fall or Winter quarter. Egads!

What Inspires Me Right Now

I changed a few big elements in my room – my duvet cover, my lighting, my TV bookshelf, my inspiration board, and my desk space and I feel so much more at ease and comfortable in my space. I remember watching an episode of Oprah as a kid where she explained how the space around you reflects your state of mind, and having finally cleaned up a lot of the clutter in my room, I finally feel as though I can use that space to write again. My desk was technically organized, but there were so many random chachkis around that it was driving me crazy. By placing them all in boxes, they’re still available, but the clutter is gone. The energy in the room is a lot calmer and I’m excited to actually go in there, where as before I was going out of my way to avoid my room.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m really into finding playlists/albums to write to, and I’ve been listening to The Mountain Goats’ Tallahassee on loop for the past few days, as well as a lot of Milk Carton Kids and Jenny Lewis (duh). I also just got my favorite Simon & Garfunkel and Cat Stevens albums on vinyl, so those have been in rotation as well.

What Else I’ve Been Up To

I can drink coffee again! And alcohol! And I can eat garlic and tomatoes and lemons!!! After nearly eight months of stomach issues and difficulty eating, finally rediscovering my love of food has been the best part of the last couple of weeks. I am so excited to cook! and eat! and DRINK! And yes, all those exclamation points are absolutely necessary.

This is how it works/You’re young until you’re not
You love until you don’t/You try until you can’t
You laugh until you cry/You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe/Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works/You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like/And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made/And stick it into some
Someone else’s heart/Pumping someone else’s blood
And walking arm in arm/You hope it don’t get harmed
But even if it does/You’ll just do it all again

I don’t listen to Begin to Hope often, as it reminds me of an ex, but it’s a great album. For whatever reason, I finally got sick of listening to Acid Tongue in my car on loop (it’s been like, a month? two?). I found Begin to Hope in a stack of CDs and popped it in on my drive home from class last night. The emotions tied to it have lessened significantly over time, which leaves me able to listen to the lyrics clearly once again — these are some of my favorites.